Softening of Stone
by Weskette
Summary: She tried to take a deep breath and speak, but it turned into more sobs. "He's..." Here she sobbed, "Hojo has returned." -!-!- "He experimented on her. As what had happened to me... A demon now dwells within Yuffie as I have one in me."
1. I was kept in a cage

**Softening of Stone**

"No!" The slim girl shrieked. The man proceeded to roughly shove her into the small, dark cage. She scrambled to the back and cowered in the corner.

She shivered uselessly, curling up on the cold metal floor.

"Why'd this happen?" she asked herself for the umpteenth time since her arrival twelve months ago. The girl attempted to sleep, clutching at the ragged clothes that she wore. She fell in to a dark slumber.

**~X~x~X~x~X~x~X~**

Tifa looked around the bridge of "The Shera." The air ship was flying to the next destination that Tifa and her friends had chosen.

All of her friends were there. All but one. Yuffie. AVALANCHE, which consisted of Tifa and her friends, had been searching for there lost friend for who knows how long.

"One year." Vincent stated suddenly, as though he had read Tifa's mind. He had been affected the most by Yuffie's disappearance. The usually dark and broody man had opened up a bit to Yuffie, and grown close to her. Tifa half suspected that he had feeling for her. After discovering that she had gone missing, he had almost obsessively searched for her. He would stay up late looking. He repeatedly had to be forced by Tifa or Cloud to get some sleep. He would begrudgingly do so but then head back out as soon as he awoke.

"I haven't seen her for one year…" The sadness in his voice made Tifa cringe.

"We'll find her." Tifa's voice was shaken.

**~X~x~X~x~X~x~X~**

Vincent stepped off the ship. He had taken a lead that Cid had found to a forest that was unfamiliar to him. He didn't watch as the airship took off again.

He walked briskly, stepping over broken branches. Within a few minutes he came across a small house. Upon entering all he found were three empty rooms. He walked cautiously through each one, his gun un-holstered.

As he walked into the third room, which appeared to be a kitchen, his blood-red eyes caught a glimpse of a small crack in the boards at his feet. Using the tips of the golden claw that graced his left hand, he lifted the board.

Beneath it was a small metal switch. He placed one leather bound finger on it and flipped it. He stood as part of the floor slid away to reveal a set of stairs. He loaded his handgun quickly and stepped down the stairs. The bottom revealed a laboratory horribly similar to the one concealed in Shinra Mansion. He shuddered at the flash of terrible memories.

"Intruder!" A shout came from his left. He heard a bullet _whoosh_ past him. The man was in a lab coat holding a gun. Vincent dodged the bullets the man shot easily. Vincent fired once and watched as the man hit the ground with a sickening** thud**. Vincent continued on, his search the most prominent thing on his mind. There were two doors he could go through. He looked through each and found one was full of cages and the other looked like the place the man he had killed slept. He walked into the room of cages and glanced in one. At the back of it whimpered a small dog-like creature. Vincent continued on, looking into each one as he went. Until he came upon a cage that seemed to hold a person.

_"Oh gods, no..."_ He thought to himself. He ran back into the previous room and searched the mans lab coat. In the breast pocket he found keys that looked like they may work on her cage.

Vincent slid the key in and twisted, hoping it would work. He heard a small _click_ as the mechanism unlocked. He pulled the door open. Sure enough, at the back Yuffie's slim figure lay. She was asleep. He un buckled the cape from his shoulders and lay it on her.

**~X~x~X~x~X~x~X~**

Yuffie was aware of a heavy cloth placed over her. It was warm and when she inhaled it smelt dark and mysterious. It was a smell she knew well. She had smelled it on various occasions when she was near Vincent. When he had lent her his cloak once before, whenever she stood exspecially close to him, or the emmbarressing incident where she had burst through a door and smashed into him. They had ended up with her on top of him and their faces only centimeters away.

Yuffie sat up. "Vincent!" She cried out in half-surprise when she saw him sitting at the opening of the cage.

"Thank gods your awake... I was worried, Yuffie..." He was unsure how to show her how he glad he was.

She came and sat beside him. He pulled her into his arms and held her there for a moment in a tight hug. She hugged back, but then said, "This is a dream isn't it?" Her voice was filled with sorrow. "Vinnie would never have hugged me. He doesn't like me. I'm lucky that he ever let me talk to him."

"Don't say that, Yuffie... This isn't a dream. I'm really sitting her right now. We've all been looking for you." He was extremely worried about her condition. She looked disheveled, her hair was longer but in knots, she had some dried blood on her arms. He stood and helped her up. "I'll prove this isn't a dream. Come."

She followed as he led her out of the room and into the lab. She cringed when she saw the instruments that were there and instinctively put her hands over her head as though she expected something to come at her. Vincent tried his best to block the sights from her.

She seemed to be ignoring it. Vincent led her to the stairs that would end with an exit. But just before the first step she paused.

"Hold on a sec, Vinnie. I have to do something." She said as the cloak slid off her shoulders. He picked it up as he watched her take a piece of metal and attempted to destroy some of the equipment.

"Wait. Let me. You need to rest." Vincent said, offering her the cloak again.

He slammed his fist into the glass of a Mako infusion tube. It shattered. He proceeded to destroy every single machine in the room. Yuffie did her best to help. That room was filled with horrible memories for her. She never wanted to see it again.

_"How are you not crying?" _A voice said in her head. Yuffie looked startled for a moment. She knew that Vincent had not said it; he was dissasembling one of the machines.

"Who are you?" Yuffie thought in her head, hoping whoever had spoke could hear her that way.

_"I am Destruction, daughter of high demons. I have found my voice, yet I am stuck within you. I have answered your question. Now, please answer mine."_ The voice, or rather, Destruction, said.

"It was why I'm not crying, right?" Yuffie said silently to the demon, not surprised about hearing the voice at all. It was exactly like what had happened to Vincent, but not as bad. "I cried myself out long ago."

"Yuffie, did you hear me?" Vincent's voice came from besides her.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Vince. I was spacing out. What'd ya say?" Yuffie half-smiled at him, still glad that he hadn't dissapeared.

"I asked if you were ready to leave. We shouldn't stay here." Vincent's eyes were soft, but determined not to let her out of his site.

"Yeah. Can I borrow your phone?" She asked. He readily handed it over to her. She dialed Tifa's number in the phone and put it to her ear.

"Vincent! Did you find her? Please tell me you did!" Tifa was breathless and hopeful.

"Calm down, Teef!" Yuffie laughed into the phone. She thought the way Tifa was acting was hilarious.

"How can I calm down, Yuff-" Tifa gasped, "Yuffie!" Her friend cried through the phone.


	2. Deep Purple eyes

_I love writing this..._

**Softening of Stone**

Yuffie snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Vincent. "Thanks, Vinnie." They stepped through the dark, abandoned house, heading towards the exit. Yuffie stepped through the door frame and gasped. The woods around them had little soft bits of fluff floating through the air like snow.

"It's cottonwood, right?" Vincent nodded his silent reply. She smiled and gazed at the beautiful things surrounding her.

Yuffie and Vincent continued traveling through the forest until they came upon a small clearing in which they could be seen by the team on Cid's ship. "We'll rest here. Is that okay with you?" Vincent asked.

"Anywhere that's not that...place is better." Yuffie said quietly. She looked up at him trustfully. Vincent tried to get her mind off the terrible experience she had had.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, slightly timid. She looked cute in his cloak, a smile amidst folds of crimson fabric.

"Yeah. A little." She admitted. He dug into his pocket and pulled out an apple. She sat against a tree while Vincent lit a fire at the center of the clearing. Yuffie watched the concentration on his face, absorbing every detail. She hadn't seen him in over a year. She had missed him an incredible amount.

Biting into the apple, the juice ran down her chin. She closed her eyes and savored the sweet taste. It was the first food she had had in a year. At the lab she had survived off of Mako, and luckily had not gottan Mako poisoning.

Vincent sat down near the fire. Yuffie, who had finished her food, moved to sit close to him. "Thank you, Vinnie." She said.

"For what?"

"Saving me. Proving it wasn't a dream." She stated plainly, "I was sure I would die in there. He conducted experiments on me. And..." She lost her voice.

He looked at her, his eyes questioning. She stared into the fire and watched its dancing lights. "And he...uh.. he put... a... demon in me..." She trailed off.

Vincent gasped. "It not overcoming you, is it?" His voice thick with worry.

"No. Not at all. I only just realized she was there. She has told me that her name is Destruction. She hasn't tried to overcome me."

"She?"

"Well, Chaos is a guy, isn't he?"

_"You had better say yes."_ Chaos' voice entered his head.

Vincent nodded.

"Then why shouldn't she have a gender?"

_"I agree completely."_ Destruction added.

_"I sensed her presence."_ Chaos informed Vincent.

"And you didn't tell me why?" Vincent asked in his head.

_"I wanted to see if she would tell you. Besides, there are loads of things I don't tell you, Valentine." _Chaos sneered. _"Like how your ninja friend-"_

"Shut up, Demon." Vincent wasn't in the mood to listen to Chaos talk about Yuffie in any way.

Yuffie looked downcast. She was sitting close to him, still staring at the fire. Her eyes were sad. It tortured him to see her so.

"Are you mad at me, Vinnie?" Came her question.

"How could I be? It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything." He felt as though he were being awkward towards her. He made his face stone.

Yuffie sat in a silence that was unlike her. She mulled things over in her head, not knowing what to do. She really liked Vincent. It was originally a tiny little crush that grew. She had tried to ignore it and now she just hid it.

_"Why don't you tell him?"_ Destruction asked.

Yuffie sighed. "Why are you reading my thoughts?"

_"I have no such ability."_ The She-demon replied, _"It was simply a strong emotion coming from you."_

Yuffie didn't reply.

Yuffie began to nod off. Vincent looked down when he felt slight pressure on his shoulder. His face held a faint trace of a smile as he saw Yuffie leaning on his shoulder. He shifted slightly to help her feel more comfortable. He leaned back on a tree. Yuffie, asleep, continued to lean on him, her head now on his chest.

Vincent fell asleep. In her sleep, Yuffie smiled, Vincent's mysterious smell surrounding her.

**~X~x~X~x~X~x~X~**

"Yuffie...Yuffie." Vincent shook the ninja gently. Yuffie rubbed her eyes.

"Vinnie?" Her voice sounded as though she were still looked at the gunslinger and they locked eyes. Vincent's own eyes widened slightly.

"Yuffie...! Your eyes..."

Yuffie grew frightened at the way he said it. "What's wrong with them, Vincent?"

"Nothings wrong with them just... They're not the same. They're different." Vincent pulled out his phone and used the reflection of the morning sun to show her. She let out a small yelp.

What were once purple-gray eyes had become a deep purple. They were dark and intense.

"It is," Vincent paused, "similar to what happened to me. Only, my eyes turned as they are now. Red."

Yuffie was silent for a moment. "When will they be here?"

"That's what I originally woke you for. Tifa called and said that-" He was cut off by the sound of an airship, and, sure enough, The Shera came into view moments later.

"Vinnie, could you keep my secret? About Destruction? I'd rather they not know." Yuffie said uncertainly.

"Of course." Yuffie smiled at the reply.

Minutes later, both were on the ship. Yuffie was surrounded by Tifa, Marlene and, surprisingly enough, Shelke.

"Yuffie!" Tifa had tears in her eyes, "Never do that again!"

Yuffie hugged her friends. "I've missed you guys so much!" Yuffie's smile grew ear to ear. She had sat in that horrible cage only ever dreaming of being back with her friends. Of escaping merciless experiments and torturing needles.

"Come on, Yuffie. We're celebrating having you back!" Tifa informed her.

**~X~x~X~x~X~x~X~**

Yuffie leaned back on to the wall behind her. She was sitting on the upper deck of 'The Shera' enjoying every minute of looking at the stars. She had taken a pill so her air sickness disapated. Most of her friends were probably asleep at the moment. Tifa had made a lot of Yuffie's favorite foods as celebration.

Yuffie sighed as a warm breeze wrapped it's long fingers around her.

"Hey, Vinnie." Yuffie smiled as she heard the ex-turks cloak rustle beind her. He sat in the place that was empty beside her. He didn't say a word and only sat in silence. The quiet was not an akward one. It was a soft quiet that made Yuffie feel safe. The exact opposite of the silences after she embarresed herself.

"It's kinda weird being back." Yuffie stated simply. "I hadn't really thought I would ever return. But now I can take things a little more seriously now. I mean," She paused, and shifted so that the were sitting back to back. She leaned gently on him, "I know now that the things in my life could be ripped away at any moment. My friends, the night sky, or... you... But it is a horrible feeling."

Vincent reached his hand back and placed it on hers. "I know that feeling. It is truly frightening. But don't be afraid." I'm not letting anything else be taken from you, he added silently. "We're all here for you."

"Thanks, Vincent." Yuffie's reply came. "You're sweet." And for the second time in the past two nights, Yuffie fell asleep surrounded in Vincent's alluring smell.

**X~x~X~x~X~x~X**

Tifa entered the deck area of the big air ship. She had seen Yuffie come up after most of them had dissapeared into their rooms for sleep. It was nearing twelve and Tifa was tired.

She came upon Yuffie leaning on Vincent, fast asleep. She was back to back with Vincent and Tifa could tell that he didn't mind at all. She then realized they were holding hands.

"I'll bring her to her room shortly." Vincent whispered softly, careful not to wake Yuffie. Tifa was shocked at the warmth in his eyes as he looked at the slim princess that was leaning on him. Tifa nodded, her eyes slightly wide.

She had never seen his eyes in any other state then when they were hard as stone and unemotional. Tifa left, confused, but happy for her friends.

* * *

_I'm typing on a phone right now! Its really annoying. And its in the middle of a thunderstorm. I seriously hate thunder as well. And lightning. _

_Anyway, enough of my problems. I'm just glad that I could finish this chapter. I don't know why but I'm going to continue this Vinnie smells good thing. I'm not sure where I got it either. But I hope you all liked the chapter. R&R_


	3. The Hill was Silent

**Softening of Stone**

Yuffie opened her eyes. She didn't remember falling asleep in her room. A smile grew on her lips when she thought of how Vincent must have carried her in. She made a note to herself to remember to ask Tifa.

She headed downstairs. "Hey, Spike." She greeted Cloud as she grabbed a box of "Count Chocula" out of the cupboard.

"Morning." He replied groggily, rubbing his eyes.

Yuffie poured the Count Chocula into a bowl and plopped down at the table. Taking a bite she closed her eyes and savored it. She hadn't tasted chocolate in WAY too long in her opinion.

"I hope you aren't becoming a glutton." A deep voice said behind her.

"Good morning, Vinnie!" Yuffie said enthusiastically, "Want some Count Chocula?" She smiled.

"Is that a joke on when you believed me to be a vampire?" Vincent asked.

Yuffie smiled innocently. "Now why would I think that?"

Vincent poured himself coffee and sat in the place besides her. He didn't see Cloud sneak silently out of the room.

"You want some?" Yuffie offered. "I'll get you a bowl."

"No thanks." Vincent sighed.

"Oh, come on! Try a bite!" She held up a spoonful of the chocolaty cereal.

"Yuffie..."

"You wimp! It's just chocolate! It's not like it's laced with garlic."

Vincent sighed in resignation. He took the bite. He usually didn't eat anything remotely chocolate-like, so he wasn't quite familiar with the taste. His eyebrows cinched up, trying to sort out the flavor. He decided it was okay, but didn't expect to eat it often.

"Good, right?" Yuffie's smile seemed to widen when he nodded. "Bet it tastes much better then that disgusting coffee you're drinking."

"How would you know if it was disgusting? Have you tried it?" He asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, I haven't. Kinda assumed that chocolate is better than most foods." Yuffie shrugged, "Other than pocky, that is."

He held out the cup to her. She hesitantly took it and took a small sip. She then grimaced. "Eww!" She whined, "That's disgusting! You _owe _me a box of pocky for tasting that crap!"

He smiled slightly. "Fine. Now return my coffee." Yuffie handed back the cup and laughed.

"I expect it within a month!" She ate another spoonful of cereal. They sat in comfortable silence as Yuffie crunched on her cereal and Vincent sipped at his coffee.

"Morning you two." Tifa walked into the room yawning.

"Morning." They answered back simultaneously.

"Vincent, Cloud wants you." Tifa informed him. Vincent sighed and stood up, leaving his coffee on the table. After Tifa was sure he was out of the room, she asked Yuffie, "And what were you doing?"

"Nothing..."Yuffie continued to eat.

"Really? Cloud said you were sharing food." Tifa suddenly had a smile on her face. "You like him!"

Yuffie blushed. "Well... How couldn't I? He saved me. He used to sit up with me before I was kidnapped, and... and well who couldn't like him?" Yuffie whispered/exclaimed. "Well, except for you with your whole Cloud fetish."

Tifa rolled her eyes.

**X~x~X~x~X~x~X**

"Vincent, you like Yuffie." Cloud stated.

"Uhh... I... umm..." Vincent stuttered, "Is... Is it that obvious?"

"Only... a lot." Cloud raised his eyebrow, " At least to me... and Tifa... and Marlene..."

"I get it. You can stop now."

**X~x~X~x~X~x~X**

"Oh, come on!" Yuffie cried in frustration. She was playing Tomb Raider:Legend and had died for the fourth time in the same spot. "I'm no good with guns." She pouted. She switched off the game and turned it back to the regular television.

"Let me see the controller." Tifa commanded. Yuffie tossed over the controller and sat in the space on the couch that was open next to Vincent. Tifa changed the channel and put it on NCIS.

"Oh! Good show!" Yuffie's eyes lit up. "Abby is my favorite character!"

Vincent's mouth twitched in a very small grin. He was happy to see she was so lively after such an experience as she had had.

"My favorite character is Ziva." Tifa stated.

"How? Abby so awesome! She hog-tied her murderous assistant with duct-tape in one episode!" Yuffie told her.

Tifa remained silent and continued to watch the episode.

Vincent focused on Yuffie through the corner of his eye. Her emotions constently shifted from one to another. Her melodous laughter rang through the room when Abby got mad at Mcgee for eating her cupcake.

After NCIS ended, Yuffie suggested they watch a scary movie seeing as it was getting late and Denzal and Marlene were asleep.

"Silent Hill! We should watch Silent Hill!" She held up the case.

"I'm okay with it." Cloud said. "What about you guys?"

"Why not?" Tifa concluded.

"What about you, Vinnie? Wanna watch it?" Yuffie asked with a puppy-like stare up at Vincent.

He looked softly down at her. "Sure."

"Yes!" She put the disc in the DVD player and plopped back down in the seat next to Vincent.

**X~x~X~An hour later~X~x~X**

Yuffie shrieked and hid her face in Vincent's cloak. On the screen, Pyramid Head had just ripped the skin off someone.

At every gorey or scary moment, Yuffie had moved closer to Vincent. She was now pressed up against him. He didn't mind.

Vincent winced when he saw the burt body of Alyssa on screen. "You scared, Vince?" Yuffie laughed.

It was the final scene of the movie. Alyssa was controling the barbed wire to rip people apart and Rose was trying to free her daughter.

"Ahh!" Yuffie proclaimed when it ended with Rose and her daughter Sharon back home. She yawned. "I'm going to bed. Night, Teef. Night, Cloud. See you in the morning, Vinnie!"

She ran back to her room and collapsed on her bed. She fell asleep in seconds.

**X~x~X~Middle of the night~X~x~X**

Yuffie's eyes opened wide, full of terror. She attempted to get up but her legs fell out from under her. The nightmare replayed over and over again in her head. A strangled cry emerged from her lips.

Two rooms over Vincent woke to the noise. "Yuffie...?" He heard the cry again.

A moment later he was out of bed and dressed. He rushed out of his room and down the hall. He knocked on Yuffie's door and heard no reply. What he could hear was sobbing. He caustiously opened the door. Yuffie was crying, half curled up on the floor.

Vincent knelt besides her and tenderly touch her shoulders. He couldn't stand seeing her that way. She clutched his arms and sobbed into his chest.

"Make him go away..." Her eyes red from crying.

"Who Yuffie? What's wrong?" The way she was crying tore at his heart as he wrapped his arms around her.

She tried to take a deep breath and speak, but it turned into more sobs. "He's..." Here she sobbed, "Hojo has returned."

* * *

_Oh my gosh. Cliffhanger(ish)! Not as bad as my cliffhanger in "His Fault", though. Hope you liked. And I discovered where I got my thing where Vinnie smells good. I've been listening to Avril Lavigne CDs lately and she mentions smell alot. Like "The clothes you left still lay on the floor, and they smell just like you." or " It smelt like cheap perfume and it didn't smell like you."_

_Any way, R&R._


	4. Feline Face, Violent Vine

_Am being threatened by my best friend to right this... Pray she doesn't kill me..._

**Softening of Stone**

"How do you know? Are you sure Hojo has returned?" Cloud asked as calm as he could be. He was pacing the room even though he was exhausted. Vincent had woke him to tell the news. He remembered the experiments done to him with anguish.

"Y...Yes." Yuffie's voice croaked. She was sitting on Vincents lap curled up against his chest. He held on to her as if she were the only antidote to a poison that had been administered to him. And in a way, she was. She had cured the poison that kept his face emotionless and his heart mourning.

"How do you know?" Cloud repeated. He stopped pacing the room and sat besides Tifa who was worrying over her friend.

Vincent shifted Yuffie slightly and looked down at her. "Do you want me to tell them?" He asked her in a soft voice. Yuffie squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and took a wavering breath andbegan. "When I found her. She was in a cage." At this Tifa gasped. "There was a lab hidden underground in which she was in the back room. I thought I had killed the man that held her captive, but he was only a lackey. Yuffie explained to me that it was Hojo that..." He took a deep breath, looking down at Yuffie, who appeared to be asleep.

"That what?" Tifa asked quietly, her eyes leaking tears.

"He experimented on her. As what had happened to me... A demon now dwells within her as I have one in me." He finished and waited for their reaction. They were silent. "She told me that her demon wasn't trying to overtake her. And the only apparent side effect was her eyes. They are no longer her purple-gray."

"I had noticed eyes but... I didn't want to say anything..." Cloud said in a low voice.

"That's probably a good thing. I don't know how she's taking this." At the sound of Vincent voice, Yuffie stirred slightly."It's late..."

"I'm... I'm going to bed." Cloud said. He sounded agitated. Tifa got up and paused at the doorframe before following. She glanced back at the slim ninja on the gunslingers lap.

"You realize you the one closest to her heart now... And her herself." The martial artist was out the door before Vincent could react.

He didn't dwell on it and a moment later he stood, Yuffie's fragile body in his arms. He carried her carefully up to her room.

He bent and placed her sleeping form on the bed. He attempted to stand but, in her sleep, Yuffie clung to him. He lifted her up and walked back into the living room. He sat down on the couch and fell asleep.

**X~x~X~x~X~x~X**

Yuffie ran as fast as she could through the dark. In head of her, a pale light glowed. In the back of her mind she knew she was dreaming, but she didn't care. She wanted to get to the light as quick as possible.

She continued to run and was nearly breathless by the time she got to it. In the center of the light stood a beautiful... creature? Its skin was furry and pale purple. Long, raven black hair flowed down it's back to it's knees. A small white horn rose from above each temple. Its face seemed half human half feline. Dark violet vine-like designs creeped over its skin. It wore a white dress that cascaded down past it's knees.

"Destruction?" Yuffie asked.

The beast nodded. "This is what you will look like when you change into me." Destruction informed the ninja.

Yuffie smiled. "Cool!"

"Be careful if you ever do change. I am a demon that bases off emotions. Originally, I would have no emotion, but being concealed within your body, I now have faint emotions that are getting more apparent. They are all based off of your emotions." Destruction explained. "An example would be now. You are feeling, wether you know it or not, love. Vincent is still holding you in his arms."

Yuffie's eyes widened and she blushed. "He is?"

"Yes."

"Whoa. I didn't expect him to. I thought he'd put me back in my bed..."

Destructions feline-like face had a very small smile on it.

"Be careful with your emotions." Destruction said before Yuffie felt as if she was being pulled backwards. Her feet began to slip and the black enveloped her as her dreams dissapeared.

* * *

_Sorry if its a bad chapter. Took a while to write. Edited alot. R&R_


	5. Tearing of Loneliness

**Softening of Stone**

"How the fuck did he come back?" Cid's hoarse voice sounded. Cloud had called AVALANCHE to discuss Yuffie's discovery. They were now sitting in the unopened bar, and Cloud was telling them of the past week's events. They each sat in chairs that were pulled around in a circle. Nearest to the window sat Cid, an unlit cigarette in his mouth. Besides him sat Shera. And the spot next to her held Barret, who was sitting with the back of his chair facing the center of the circle. The next spot was occupied by Cloud who had Tifa to the right of him. Next to Tifa was Yuffie. Yuffie was enjoying her place that had Vincent next to her. Reeve sat on Vincent's other side.

"That's what we'd like to know." Reeve said. His face held a grimace.

Cid rolled his eyes before going to light his cigarette. "Not in here, Cid." Tifa ordered. "Smoke outside." Cid grumbled a little before standing up and walking out the door.

"Yuffie, do you have any recollection of how you came to be taken by Hojo?" The question was asked by Reeve.

Yuffie tensed visibly. She hestitated.

"You don't have to say it if your uncomfortable remembering it..." Vincent reasurred her.

She looked at him and smiled a small, sad smile. "It's fine, Vinnie..." She swallowed, took a deep breath, and started her story.

_"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I'll visit." Yuffie talked nonchalant into the phone. "I have to visit the closest thing I have to a sister!" She was talking to Tifa on the phone. "I told you, I'll only be gone for a few weeks. Three months tops. I NEED more materia. Haven't gone hunting for it in forever." _

_Yuffie had admitted to being a kleptomaniac often. She was proud of it. But Tifawas unsure where it would get her friend in time. Yuffie had decided she wanted to on a little trip. _

_"Promise to call every once in a while. It sucks you can't be here to help with the bar." Tifa complained into the mouthpiece. _

_"I promise. Don't worry so much." Yuffie laughed into the phone._

_"I can't help it! You're my best friend! And your leaving me here with Cloud as my best company. I may love him, but he can get a little dramatic."_

_Yuffie laughed again at her friends joke. "I'll call. Now I gotta go. Bye."_

_"Bye." They both hung up._

_Yuffie slid her phone into her pocket and sighed. It felt like it had been quite a while since she'd been away from Seventh Heaven and her friends. It was an odd feeling that paraded around her after the phone was flipped off. It wasn't very pleasent._

_As Yuffie walked away, she was aware of a presence behind her. She whipped around, a shuriken suddenly in her hand. She pressed it against the throat of her follower. "Why are you following me?" She growled, teeth clenched._

_"Easy, stranger." The man was cloaked and Yuffie could barely see his face. His accent was unfamiliar to her. He pronounced his "R's" as "H-es" "I can see you like materia." He gestured towards the bracelet on her wrist that glowed with materia. _

_"That's none of your buisness, now is it?" Yuffie's voice was tight, emmited between the clenched teeth of a malicious smile. Her hand was turning slightly paler as she squeezed the shuriken in her hand._

_"Ahh, but I can help you get some more. Quite a bit more. Have you heard of the Feilds of Red?" The man asked._

_Yuffie shook her head slightly, not taking her eyes off the man before her._

_"So you do not know that there is a legend that huge amounts of materia if stored somewhere there?"_

_Yuffie's eyes held a uncharicteristic, hard, questioning stare. She wasn't about to take any crap from this man._

_"Here's a map to the Fields of Red, stanger." Yuffie removed the shuriken from the man's throat and took the map. She looked down at the map briefly. When she looked back up the man was gone._

"It had to be about two weeks until I actually looked at the map again." Yuffie explained to the group. She shivered as she thought of it. She was staring at a small mark on the wood floor, avoiding eye contact with everyone. She felt vulnerable and weak explaining these things. She pulled her knees up on to her chair and rested her chin on them. "I should've known it was a trap..."

_Yuffie glanced at the map to double check if she was on the right path. She sighed in frustration and turned around and marched back up the little road. Turning the correct way, she continued to go down this much smaller path. The undergrowth scraped at her legs, irritating her skin. She bent down for a moment and rubbed at her legs. As she did this, her phone rang in her pocket._

_Pulling it out, she saw she had a message from Vincent. _

_**Tifa wants you to call her. **_  
_**For some reason, her phone isn't working.**_  
_**We all want you to come back soon.**_  
_**Or at least visit.**_

_**~Vincent**_

_Yuffie smiled and typed a quick reply._

_**Okay!~ I'll come back a little sooner,  
seeing as your bugging me to come back too.  
Things must be really quiet without me there, huh!  
See you in... two days?**_

_She hit send and slid the phone back into her pocket. She felt a little happier but that odd, unpleasant feeling was still there and seemed to grow stonger. It tore her inside and a shiver went up her back when she thought of it._

_Pushing the feeling to the back of her mind, she continued to walk down the path. She gasped when she reached the end. The was a field dyed red before her. Long grasses of scarlet color filled the field from where Yuffie stood far to the other side of the valley._

_"Whoa..." Yuffie gazed out with wide eyes over the plant ocean of red. She spotted a small shed like object with a crude fence around it._

_She walked up to the fence's gate. It had a wellbuilt lock on it that held it shut. Yuffie took only a moment to pick the lock and pull open the large gate. It let out a high _creeeek_. The shed's door wasn't locked so she was able to walk right in. As soon as she did, a large Chimera appeared with a D__ual __horn. _

_"Shit..." Yuffie muttered to herself, she pulled out her conformer that was strapped to her back. "Bring it!" She hurled the conformer at the large of the two monsters. The chimera dodged and swung its massive claw at her. She jumped back and caught her weapon. The Dual Horn screamed in rage as it started it's charge. Yuffie held her weapon out so it charged into the weapons deadly point. _

_The conformer cut into its head, killing the Dual Horn. Yuffie smiled but the next second she was holding her side in pain. The Chimera had hit her while she wasn't paying attention. She pulled out her highest materia, a Fire3. Holding it in her hand she yelled out "Fire3!" The Chimera tryed to evade again but couldn't. The fire crashed into the monster and it screamed in agony. It tryed to attack her again but she landed a hit on it instead._

_Yuffie could see it was near death. She hurled the conformer and it smashed into the Chimera. Mako hovered in the air as it's body disappeared. _

_"Haha! Yes!" Yuffie did a quick fist pump. _

_She didn't see what happened next. A hand crashed into her neck. She fell to the floor and her cellphone skidded out of her pocket. All she could see was the screen of her phone. She could here footsteps coming closer to her._

_Yuffie focused her eyes on her phone. There was tears streaming from her eyes, so her vision was blurry. She could just barely read the flashing screen. _

_**One new message. From- Vincent**_

**_It has gotten quite quiet here.  
I hope you will sit on the roof with me once you return.  
It's lonely up there by myself._**

_Yuffie's eyes closed as the tears fell from them onto the floor. She couldn't move. Her last conscious thought was the realization what the feeling she had felt since she left._

_Loneliness._

Vincent's eyes were full of mixed feelings as he gazed at the slim woman he cared so much about. She was wiping the newly fallen tears from her cheeks. The others of the circle were completely quiet. Yuffie closed her eyes as the tears ran from them, falling down her cheeks. She took a deep breath and said "Does..." She took another breath, "...Does that help?"

* * *

I was actually making pancakes while righting this. I can't beleive how long I was able to make this chapter. I usually try to get at least 1,000 words in but now I have like 1,740.

R&R


	6. Destruction speaks

_This will be the last time I update until Friday. Won't go near a computer until then._

_Heh, heh. Destruction has a british accent!~_

_R&R_

**Softening of Stone**

Yuffie stood out of her chair, and ran out of the room. The group could hear her feet hit the stairs.

Tifa caught Vincent's eye. She quickly motioned for him to follow Yuffie. He nodded and was on the stairs the next moment, his crimson cloak swishing behind him. Vincent knocked on her bedroom door. He waited a moment. For a moment there was no reply. "Come in..." In her voice he could tell that she was still crying.

He opened the door slightly. She stood by the window, gazing out at the street below, the sky dark with clouds. She turned her head back and looked at him. "Hey, Vinnie." He stepped closer to her, though it still kept a distance of about two feet.

"I'm glad that," She fought for the words, "that you came to see if I was okay. But, I just need a little bit to myself... okay?" She prayed she had not offended him.

He nodded. He completely understood what she ment. He didn't want to be around people after the events that had happened to him. But he had seclusioned him self for thirty years.

"And Vinnie?"

"Hmm?" He began to turn towards her again when her lips brushed his cheek.

"Thank you."

He felt his cheeks blush slightly. As he left the room he felt an odd warmth in his chest.

Yuffie pulled a chair up to the window and opened it. A gentle breeze blew gently in, brushing against her cheeks in a calming manner.

"Yuffie?" Destruction's voice came into her head.

"Yes?" Yuffie answered.

"The story you told the others... That is how I came to be here, in you?" Destruction's tone was slightly curious.

"Yeah. It was how I came to be expiremented on." Yuffie bit her lip.

"I am... Sorry." Destruction could feel waves of emotions coming off of Yuffie. She could barely tell what was what. The mixture of emotions confused Destruction. She could feel hope, dread, regret, and others she could not name, all coming off the young ninja.

"It's not your fault, Des! Your not the one who kidnapped me." Yuffie leaned forward with a sigh and put her arms on the window sill.

"Des?"

"Yup. That's the nickname I thought of for you."

"...Nickname?" Destruction asked, confused.

"I give all of my friends nicknames. Tifa's is Teef, I call Vincent Vinnie, and Cloud is Spike." Yuffie stated simply, a small smile on her face.

"It is... odd to think of a demon with a friend." Destruction mumbled quietly.

"You didn't have demon friends?"

"Demons are taught by there parents and then sent off. They are expected to use their powers where they are needed. Some demons find mates, but none ever have 'friends'." Destruction explained.

"Did you ever find a mate?" Yuffie asked.

"No..."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Yuffie thought over how she had kissed Vincent's cheek. Her cheeks turned a slight pink at the thought.

"Yuffie, would you be okay if I looked at your memories of Vincent?" Destruction asked. She wanted to know more about the mysterious man of which her host had feelings for.

Yuffie hesitated a moment. She appreciated that Des had asked before going into her personal memories, but she wasn't sure. "Yeah."

Destruction began to look at the memories. Yuffie didn't know how, but she could feel Destruction's presence as the demon went through her memories. "Vincent has many demons in him...?" The question was phrased as more of a statement.

"Yeah. Chaos is the main demon, I think. I've seen him turn into the Galien Beast, Hell Master and Chaos before. It was a weird experience, seeing him change." Yuffie paused,"One moment, the tall crimson-loving man is there and the next a powerful demon." She sighed at the memory of his first change from man to demon.

"They are all lower class demons than I... Though Chaos is very close, seeing as chaos and destruction seem to go hand in hand. Vincent seems much more..." The she-demon struggled for the word, "Much more emotionless in your memories. As though he turned his emotions to stone rather than feel sorrow."

Yuffie nodded as she thought about this. It was true that Vincent had changed a lot since the fateful day that the fun-loving ninja had thrown off the top of his coffin and screamed 'Vampire!' He had opened up more since then. He had confided his past in her and gave her something she usually never received. Trust. He had trusted her to keep his past a secret and she, without realizing what she was doing, told him everything about her self. From her mother's death to how she became part of AVALANCHE, he knew it.

"You two are close, yes?" Destruction asked.

"I guess you could say that. We would usually take watch together and talk. If our watch was not together one of us would stay up with the other anyway."

"That's what I would call close." Yuffie laughed at the demon statement. It was followed with a gasp when Yuffie looked out the window.

"Rain!" She laughed out. She stuck her hand out the window as the little drops hit her hand. Her feet hit the stairs as he ran downstairs. Tifa had just finished cleaning up the mess from the group gathering. "I'm going for a walk!" Yuffie yelled to Tifa.

"It's raining, Yuffie!"Tifa replied, bewildered.

"That's the point!" Yuffie ran past Vincent and out the door. Vincent watched Yuffie in the rain, her melodious laughter rang out. Vincent lifted his hand and trailed a finger on hi cheek in the place that her lips had touched, if only briefly.

* * *

_Well, talk to you guys next week! I'll come home on Friday and I leave in about a half an hour._

_R&R. **REVIEW.**_


	7. Mulan

_I HAVE RETURNED. And I have 2 dogtags..._

**Softening of Stone**

Where is she?_ The question was on most of the minds of AVALANCHE, except for their missing member._

_Vincent sat staring coldly out the window as the sky darkened and the first few drops of rain fell. Questions whirled through his mind. _"Where is she? Did she get hurt? Why is it mattering so much to me?"

_He clenched his fist as he thought about the small ninja not returning when she said she would. Two weeks had past since the day of her planned return. He had found himself happier after the news of her planning to return. Even Tifa had noticed the difference._

_But it quickly changed when the young Wutain woman failed to arrive._

_They all thought she had been held up with something. But as time went on they all realized she may have been hurt._

_Tifa had finally rallied the gang together to search for her. Reeve had found a lead on some of the places she'd been as well._

"It's taking to long! Cid should've been here by now!" _Vincent kept this thought to himself. If he had spoken it, he would have received strange looks. His aura seemed to say 'I don't care about others.' Very few saw through it._

"What if something has happened to her?"_ The thought entered his mind before he could stop it._

_Vincent squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. Within him, Galien Beast rose up, trying to take control. Wolfish, possesive thoughts entered his mind, caused by the demon. _"Who would hurt my ninja? Who could possibly harm my beautiful Wutain princess? I'll destroy whoever did!"

_Vincent dug his fingers into the chair he sat in. He was a little alarmed at the thoughts and wondered where they had come from._

_He stood and rushed out the door. He could feel Galien Beast fighting to free itself._

_Vincent ran out of the city into the woods beyond. He paused only a moment as Galien Beast's form replaced his own. He thought as he continued to run. The possesive feeling pushed away, he struggled with the new feelings he felt whenever he thought of Yuffie. He didn't know why he felt them. He thought that these feelings had been washed from him when Lucrecia had died._

_All of a sudden the terrain around him changed, and he was rushing through a hallway in a laboratory. As he ran through he saw a scientist carrying samples and needles. Vincent slashed and the man was dead in a moment._

_Galien Beast's wolfish nose caught Yuffie's scent coming from far down the corridor. It let out a ferocious roar full of rage and longing. Using Galien Beast's massive claws, Vincent smashed through the door way._

_"No!" Vincent cried out and fell to his knees, returned to his human form._

_In front of the gunslinger was Yuffie's body, pale with the complection of death. She had scars on her arms and legs, and a very fresh wound running across her stomach. He felt tears come from his eyes that he thought had dried from past tragedies flow down his face. "No..." He whispered as blackness came down around him._

XxAwakexX

Vincent opened his eyes to the blackness of his room. He sat up, the nightmare fresh in his mind. He ran his hand through his hair and stood from his bed. He couldn't get past the feeling that Yuffie was in danger even though he knew it was irrational.

He was out of his room in a moment, walking down the hallway towards Yuffie's room.

Vincent gave three swift knocks on the door to her room. They were barely audable.

He waited a moment to see if she would come to the door. He was about to walk away when the door opened. Yuffie stood before him, rubbing her eyes groggily. "Vincent?"

She gasped as he pulled her into his arms in a tight hug. She hugged him back, still surprised at the action.

He pulled away and looked down. "I'm sorry..."

"Vinnie, is something wrong?" She tried to steal his gaze from the floor.

He took a deep breath and said, "I had a nightmare... Just please, Yuffie," His deep baritone voice got quieter, "don't leave again." His voice was firm but pleading.

"Don't worry, Vinnie! I'm not leaving again." She paused to think a moment before saying, "Nightmare, huh? Whenever I had a nightmare when I was little my mom would sit with me and watch a movie to get my mind off it. So how about, Vinnie? Let's go watch a movie and get your mind off it." Without waiting for an answer, Yuffie grabbed Vincent's hand and headed to the living room.

She made him sit on the couch and headed to the case of movies. She pulled out a DVD. "Wanna watch Mulan?"

Vincent nodded a yes and Yuffie put the movie in the DVD player. She hit play and returned to the couch. Sitting down next to him, she said, "This has been my favorite movie since I was old enough to understand it. There's a song in it that really fit me a few years ago."

Vincent sat with her and soon, the nightmare was in the back of his mind, nearly forgotten.

**X~x~X~x~X~x~X**

"We should probably leave later today if we want to make it." Cloud was talking to Tifa about the search for hojo. He followed her as she walked around packing essential items. It was early in the morning, not even seven yet, so the moved around quietly. Tifa set some potions on the counter and turned her direction to the living room. "And Nanaki said he could-"

Tifa shushed him as she looked through the door. She smiled as she spoke, "Be quiet!" She motioned for him to look through the door. His eyebrows shot up. Inside the living room, Yuffie and Vincent were sleeping. Vincent's head was in Yuffie's lap and she had her hands resting in his thick locks of hair.

Tifa slowly backed up and whispered, "Let them sleep."

**X~x~X~x~X~x~X**

"Red!" Yuffie voice was full of delight as she hugged the huge feline.

"Hello, Yuffie." Nanaki greeted her. "I am sorry that I couldn't get here earlier."

"It's fine! I'm glad you could come with us." She smiled. She looked over at Cloud. "Are we going to where I think we're going...?"

"I'm afraid so. We have to check the place you were taken. Don't worry, we'll all look out for you."

Yuffie nodded but bit her lip in worry. "When are we leaving?"

"Today." Cloud didn't like seeing his friend so scared. She was like a little sister to him.

Yuffie's frown deepened slightly. She didn't want to go to the place that her life had seemingly ended, the place where she had laid unmoving and read the last message she would ever get. Her fists clenched as she thought of the nightmares she had about that place.

"I had, uh, better go pack..." Yuffie used the excuse to leave the room. Shivers ran up her back at the thought of returning to the red fields.

She pulled out the sleeping bag she usually used and began to pack her neccesities. She grabbed a random bangle from her drawer and put some materia in the slots. She had plenty of materia to be able to put some in her conformer too. Once she was done, her hands fell into her lap and she fell into daydreaming. She stared blankly, not moving. Her thoughts flew, never staying in the same place.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. She stood and opened it. Tifa was on the opposite side of it.

"Ready to go?" Tifa asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"Okay, can you get Vincent on your way down?"

"Sure."

Tifa returned downstairs as Yuffie grabbed her stuff.

Yuffie placed three knocks on Vincents door in quick procession. He opened the door almost immiediatly. "Yes?"

"Tifa told me to come get you. We're leaving soon." She smiled through her worry.

"Thank you." He nodded. As Yuffie began to turn away, he stopped her. "Are you okay with going there?"

After a moment she nodded. "If we don't stop him, he'll hurt too many people. Who knows what he's planning."

Vincent grabbed his supplies and slipped through his door. He caught up with Yuffie in a fews strides. He hesitated before giving her hand a quick reassuring squeeze.

* * *

_I'm horribly sorry it took so long. I haven't been inspired of late. I've been inspired to write other stories, but this one not so much. I'll do my best to keep going._

_**R&R**_

_**I said REVIEW.**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Softening of Stone**

The group had stopped to take a break in an empty clearing. The creatures that had been attacking them were unusually strong. All but two of them had some sort of injury or laceration. The two that didn't have any injuries were the two that posessed one or more demons.

Yuffie had been growing nervous as they had made their way through the dense forest, and had not calmed down even though they had stopped.

She sat quietly and stared into the forest ahead. It was completely uncharacteristic.

Vincent, of course, noticed. He walked over and sat besides her. "Yuffie."

"Hey, Vinnie," she smiled over at him. "What's up?"

"You... don't seem to be acting like yourself. I was wondering if you're okay," he replied.

She bit her lip and gave him a small half smile. "I'm kinda... getting acustomed to how having a demon in me is changing how my body reacts to stuff. Like this." She held out her arm and showed him the red welt that was on her skin. "Five minutes ago, that was bleeding badly."

"You're body is healing itself at an accelerated rate?" he asked, running a thumb over the welt.

"Yeah."

Before he could say anything more, the unmistakable sound of a growl from behind them. It was loud and vicious. Vincent whirled around in time to see a Minotaur and a Reaper enter the clearing. The presence of the monsters were immidiatly felt by each member of AVALANCHE, who then leapt into action.

Tifa quickly equipped her God's Hand and made the first attack on the Reaper. It hit, but didn't do much damage. It was Cloud's turn next. He swung his blade into the Minotaur, making a long laceration against it's side.

It roared in fury and charged, hitting Yuffie full-on. She was thrown back so she hit the ground hard. Her limit break was triggered, though it wasn't one any of them were familiar with.

"Yuffie!" Tifa shouted.

Yuffie acted as though no one else was there. Her body began to emit a purple glow and her face turned emotionless. Her eyes glazed over as she stared straight ahead at the monster infront of her. Claws formed where her fingernails used to beand sharpened themselves.

"...Yuffie?" her name was repeated as the Reaper readied a strong move.

She leapt into action before either monster could move. She placed one hand at the base of the Minotaur's neck. Her grip tightened and the creature began to emit a squeal of pain. Blood seeped out from under her claws. With one quick motion of the wrist, the Minotaur was dead; it's neck snapped.

"Careful. She's berserk," Vincent said in a low tone.

She went after the Reaper next. With no time to react, the Reaper was taken aback. She grabbed it's arm and twisted. With a crack, the joint of it's arm broke. Moment's later, she tossed it's lifeless body to the side. Mako shimmered in the air as the bodies returned to the lifestream.

Yuffie was motionless, her glazed over eyes turned towards her friends.

One of them spoke her name once more, thoroughly shocked by what had just happened. Her expression changed to one of confusion. Suddenly her eyes were normal and she spoke. "Wha...?" Her legs gave and she blacked out. A flash of crimson caught her.

"Is she alright?" Nanaki asked quietly, his tail lashing.

"She's unconcious." Vincent removed his cloak and laid it down on the ground. Gently, he placed her on it.

"What... What was that?" Tifa asked timidly.

"That was... Destruction. Her demon. That was her form of a limit break, I believe," he answered.

Tifa sat besides the unconsious princess and took out a heal materia. She cast it on her friend before calming down a bit.

"We should stay here until she wakes up. It's late anyway," Cloud spoke logically.

"It'd probably be best for her. It will take awhile for her to heal from this. Even with accelerated healing, her body still isn't used to exertion like that." Vincent switched from kneeling to sitting besides his unconcious partner. Tifa stood. "I'll keep watch," he informed. "You three get some rest."

Nanaki, Cloud, and Tifa settled down in their respective places and Vincent stayed besides Yuffie.

* * *

Hours later, Vincent was still awake. He sat patiently on watch, not needing sleep.

He glanced over at Yuffie's sleeping form. She had managed to wrap the cloak around herself in her sleep. He smiled softly and brushed the hair back out of her face.

She smiled in her sleep and shifted. "Vi... Vincent?"

"Shh..." he comforted.

"Wha... What happened?" she whispered.

"You hit your limit break. The rest... I'll tell you later."

She sat up and put a hand to her head. "Ow..." He put a hand on her shoulder and she glanced over at him. "Are we still in the same place we were before?"

"Yes."

Yuffie realized what she was resting on and blushed. "Uhhh, thanks, Vinnie. For letting me use..." She indicated to the cloak.

He smiled at her gently. "It's fine, Yuffie."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Thanks."

"How's your head?" he asked.

"Getting better. But I should probably go back to sleep... Are you alright staying up for watch?" she whispered the question in order not to wake the others nearby.

"It's okay. You need your sleep," he replied.

"I'll stay up with you." She stated it plainly, as though she hadn't mentioned a need of sleep only moments before.

"You need sleep. What happened earlier drained you," he objected.

"Then..." She blushed and continued. "Could you lay down with me? At least for a bit?"

"Sure."

He moved closer to her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against his shoulder and they both laid down on the rumpled cloak.


End file.
